Vacation on a Budget

We are off to the beach tomorrow. It has been about three years since we last took a real vacation. I'm excited or at least I will be after the car is loaded and we are on our way.

This is the first vacation we actually have a budget for. Every other vacation we've taken, we used whatever was left in the checking (usually very little,) and the rest went on credit. Sad, but true, and we wonder why we have so much debt?!

We budgeted $1000 for this trip. The trip is one week. There are six of us. Here is how we hope to stay in that budget:

Timing
We are going off peak season. The savings on lodging alone are substantial.

Go with Friends
Friends actually arranged most of this trip. There are several of us sharing a very large house. This made the lodging cost very cheap, about $350 per family for the week. An added bonus to this arrangement is we are taking turns cooking dinner, and cleaning up. So, there will actually be nights I am not responsible for any kitchen duties!

Food
We are bringing most of our food. I spent slightly more than I would for a week here, because I bought things that were convenient and easy to pack for our lunches. If I'd really be on the ball, I could have precooked some more and saved on the convenience items, but it didn't happen. Even so, being able to cook, and not have to eat out for every meal saves a ton on the vacation budget.

Eating Out
I don't want to pack or lunches everyday. Part of the fun of vacation to me, is eating at local restaurants. We typically eat out for lunch or breakfast, rather than dinner. These meals are less expensive, and you still get the enjoyment of going out.

We went to Restaurant.com and checked the offerings in the area. If you aren't familiar with this, you buy gift certificates for restaurants at a discounted price. A typical offering is a $25 certificate for $10. We also had a coupon code. I'm not sure it is still valid, but the code is HOP, if you want to try.

We picked up two certificates, with a total value of $50, for $12. One certificate probably won't cover a meal for the family, but it will certainly help. We can also buy more certificates once we are there if needed.

Entertainment
We stick to the free and the low cost. There are lots of national parks and lighthouses in the Outer Banks. We did not go to the Wright Brothers Memorial last time we were there because we stayed quite a ways south of Kitty Hawk. That is a must on this trip.

I also want plenty of time to hang out and doing nothing, or to just walk the beach. We packed our Wildman Book too just in case. Some people geocache, we forage.

I encourage you to look in the area you are headed for vacation for national parks, historical sites, museums and other places that have low admission fees or are free. There are usually a lot of fun and educational choices.

Budget Breaker?
Have you seen gas prices lately? This might be the area that pushes us past our budget. Not sure what to do about that, except spend less money on other things to compensate.

Using Cash
We plan to take the money for this vacation in cash. I find I'm much more aware of how much we are spending when using cash. I hesitate to break those larger bills which makes me think more about the purchase. Also, with cash, I can see at a quick glance how much we've spent and how much money is left.


Will we stay within our budget? I'll have to report that when we get back. For now, I still have packing to do!

Frugal Fridays

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